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The 4% challenge is an exciting new development, issued by the Time’s Up movement, represented by actress Tessa Thompson.

“Because only 4% of the top 100 studio films over the last DECADE have been directed by women #TIMESUP is initiating a challenge, the 4% challenge, and I intend to take it: I commit to working with a female director in the next 18 months,” quoted the Time’s Up Twitter account from Thompson’s statements on the matter.

The 2017 film “Wonder Woman” earned a lot of buzz, both for featuring an infamous superheroine, and for having a female director (Patty Jenkins). Wonder Woman is, of course, a comic book character, and the comic book industry is rather well-known for being male-dominated. Pages telling stories of awe-inspiring heroes unfortunately also feature images of sexualized female characters that rely on their male companions. Where a man can save the world, a woman can stand next to him in a skintight suit.

This new wave of more powerful and uplifting female characters is made possible by directors like Patty Jenkins. Society has grown accustomed to only viewing women in media through a male perspective, because their characters are written, dressed, and directed by men. Of course, there are male directors who have successfully created non-problematic female characters, but there is a recurring issue of girls in films with perfect hair during fight scenes, perfect makeup first thing in the morning, wearing tighter and more revealing outfits than their male co-stars, even if the situation should call for more protective gear.

There are many female characters who cannot stand on their on, they need a man in order to be who they are. Their dad gives them things they are capable of earning, they learn to fight from having brothers instead of doing it for themselves, they get rescued and bossed around and taken care of by their boyfriends or husbands or whatever male main character took an interest in them. They rely on men because they are brought to life by men, and the future of female characters in media content could be heavily benefitted by the addition of more female points of view.

Gal Gadot’s portrayal of the demigod Diana Prince under the direction of Patty Jenkins turned a new page for the capabilities of a female character in a film; gone are the days of their most important asset being their sexuality, making room for a new age of sincerely heroic women to be ushered in.

With the success of Jenkins in mind, there has been more and more consideration given to female directors. What Time’s Up and Tessa Thompson are presenting is just the call to action that Hollywood needs.

Many still refuse to realize that women are not entirely equal in today’s society, and Hollywood is a particularly prominent culprit of objectifying them.

In theater’s earliest days, women were not allowed to perform. Then they had secondary roles, clinging to men. Female characters on both television and in cinema began to evolve, to be more independent, in-depth and interesting. There’s still a long way to go, however, and that’s only for women in front of the camera. There are many “behind the scenes” roles that are necessary to produce movies and shows, and for many years they were all considered too complex for women.

Now there are women operating cameras, editing, set-designing, creating prosthetics, and more, but they are still the minority on sets, especially in leadership positions. Women are more than capable of leading a team and creating successful film projects, as shown by Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” earning a gross revenue of over 412 million. This is what the “4% challenge” is all about: getting women into well-deserved higher positions in their field.